Hemostatic instrument



Nov. 3, 1964 F. HAMILTON 3,155,094

HEMOSTATIC INSTRUMENT Filed NOV. 27. 1961 Louis E .Eimilozz Fly-2 BYfi vdifiw fii ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,155,094 HEM'OSTATIC INSTRUMENT Louis F. Hamilton, 210 S. Roselawn, Artesia, N. Mex. Filed Nov. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 155,132 Claims. (Cl. 128326) This invention relates to hemostatic instruments and more particularly relates to a simple hemostatic instrument for tying the umbilical cord of newborn babies.

Various clamping devices have been suggested for checking the flow of blood in the umbilical cord but no prior known type has been found to be completely satisfactory. This is due primarily to the difficulty experienced in making a proper tie. If the tie in the cord is too tight or too loose, bleeding will occur. Also, prior known clamping devices have required an excessive amount of time to adjust and, therefore, needlessly diverted the attention of the obstetrician away from the mother or baby.

Accordingly, this invention has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive and highly efiicient clamping device for tying umbilical cords following child delivery.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clamping instrument that will reduce the time involved in tying the umbilical cord.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a clamping instrument that uses the relatively gentle action of an elastic band for clamping the umbilical cord.

A further object of this invention is to provide a clamping instrument that may be subjected to the necessary cleaning, sterilizing and handling without accidentally releasing the elastic band.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a clamping instrument which is built and operated along the lines of a pistol, thereby making its use extremely easy.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following description and claims and the appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of the pistol-shaped hemostatic instrument constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the instrument;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2 showing the instrument in its loaded condition; and

FIGURE 4 is a view of the instrument shown in FIGURE 3 after it has been discharged.

The same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

With reference to the figures of the drawings, the hemostatic instrument of this invention has an overall shape which closely resembles that of a small pistol and consists of a cylindrical-shaped barrel having a pistol grip 12 secured to one end. The barrel of the instrument has a substantially conical shaped end surface 14 which tapers toward an opening 16 in the end of the cylinder. This tapered end surface has an indentation 18 out along its top surface. This indentation thus forms a lip or ridge 29 whose function will be more fully explained hereinafter.

A trigger 22 is slidably mounted through a slot 24 in the bottom of the cylinder 19, as more clearly seen in FIGURES 3 and 4. This trigger 22 is connected to or formed as an integral part of a slide rod 26 which is positioned in a longitudinal bore or passage 29 located within the cylinder 10. The slide rod 26 is tapered toward one end and terminates in a hook 28. This hook 28 is normally extended outside the cylinder 10 as shown in FIG- URE 3. However, when the trigger is pulled against the grip 12, the hook 28 will be drawn into a cavity 30 3,1355,% Patented Nov. 3, 1964 located at the open end of the cylinder as more clearly seen in FIGURE 4.

A lever or bell crank arrangement 32, which has a generally circular configuration, is pivotally mounted within the cylinder 10 by a pivot pin 34. Two notches 36 and 38 are cut into the lever and are positioned so as to extend into the longitudinal bores 29 and 4%. A plunger or push rod 42 is slidably mounted within the bore 40. When the trigger is pulled, as is shown in FIGURE 4, the slip rod 26 moves along the bore 29 until its end engages the notch 36 of the lever 32. The upper notch 38, which extends into the longitudinal bore 49, is positioned so that it will be in engagement with one end of the plunger 42.

Located around the tapered end 14 of the cylinder 10 is an elastic band 44 which may be, for example, an ordinary type rubber band. This band is held in place and prevented from slipping oif the tapered end surface by the ridge 20 formed by the indentation 18. This ridge arrangement prevents the band from accidentally slipping off the instrument, thus allowing the instrument to be loaded (by placing the band 44 around the tapered end 14) prior to its being used.

Sometime prior to the time when the instrument is to be used, the band 44 is placed on the tapered end 14 as shown in FIGURES 1-3 with the hook 28 in its extended position. The instrument is then subjected to a sterilizing step such as boiling with the band positioned in place. The instrument is then removed from the sterilizer and ready for use.

In use, the slack umbilical cord is hooked by the hook 28 at the desired length from the umbilicus. The trigger 22 is then pulled, thereby drawing the umbilical cord through the open end 16 into the cavity 30 within the cylinder 10. At this point, the cord is kinked and the end of rod 26 has just made engagement with the notch 36 of the lever 32. The trigger is then pulled a little more forcefully, thereby causing the lever 32 to pivot or rotate about pin 34, thereby pushing the rod 42 along the bore 4% into engagement with the band 44.

As the trigger is pulled further, the rod 42 pushes the band 44 over the ridge or lip 20, thereby allowing the band to slip off the tapered cylinder. The band is now located around and is clamping the umbilical cord in its crimped or kinked condition.

The trigger is then released and the hook extended so that the hook may be removed from the loop formed in the umbilical cord. With the instrument removed, the distal portion of the cord may be clamped and cut.

From the above, it may be seen that the cord will never be touched by the obstetricians potentially contaminated hands. Due to the particular shape and operation of the instrument and its similarity to a pistol, any of the obstetricians assistants who are familiar with the operation of a pistol may perform the clamping of the cord, thereby allowing the obstetrician to direct his full attention to the mother and child. The time required to perform this clamping operation is also greatly reduced over that normally required to perform any other type of tie, which is important, but not nearly so much so as the efiective hemostatis without cord damage which is afforded by the elastic band.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the device of this invention is low in cost, rugged in construction and assures a positive clamping action. The use of an elastic band will not cut the fragile umbilical cord, yet it will effectively aiford enough constrictive action to stop any bleeding. The operation of the instrument is simple and requires only one hand, thus leaving the other hand of the operator free.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms splas ed 3 without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A hemostatic instrument comprising a housing having a tapered end, gripping means mounted on the other end of said housing, an elastic band, means for holding said elastic band upon said tapered end, a hook slidably located Within said housing and normally positioned outside said tapered end of said housing, a push rod slideably mounted in said housing, and means for simultaneously drawing said hook into said housing and moving said push rod out of said housing to push said elastic band from said tapered end.

2. A hemostatic instrument for tying umbilical cords comprising a cylindrical-shaped housing having a tapered end, a cavity located Within said tapered end, grip means located on the other end of said housing, a slip rod slidably positioned Within said housing, said slip rod terminating at one end in a hook, said hook normally being positioned outside said tapered end of said housing, trigger means connected to said slip rod for moving said hook into said cavity, elastic band means mounted on said tapered end of said housing, a push rod in said housing for releasing said band means when said trigger is operated, and lever means coupling said slip rod to said push rod whereby movement of said slip rod imparts a moving force through said lever means to said push rod.

3. A hernostatic instrument for tying umbilical cords according to claim 2 wherein said tapered end is prod vided with a ridge for preventing said band means from prematurely being released.

4. A hemostatic instrument for tying umbilical cords comprising a cylindrical-shaped housing having a tapered end and a bore, a ridge located on said tapered end, a cavity located Within said tapered end, a pistol grip mounted on said other end of said housing, a longitudinally movable slip rod slidably positioned within a bore in said housing, said slip rod being tapered at one end and terminating in a hook, said hook normally being positioned outside said tapered end of said housing, a

trigger connected to said slip rod through a slot in said housing for moving said hook into said cavity, an elastic band mounted on said tapered end and held in place by said ridge, a longitudinally movable push rod mounted in a bore in said housing for engaging against said elastic band, and means interconnecting said slip rod and said push rod so that movement of said trigger will move said hook into said cavity as said push rod moves out of said bore to release said elastic band from said tapered end.

5. A hemostatic instrument for tying umbilical cords according to claim 4 wherein said last named means is a lever, said lever being pivotally mounted in said housing with one end thereof arranged to engage said slip rod and the other end thereof arranged to engage said push rod.

ReferencesCited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 509,226 Kellogg Nov. 21, 1893 1,683,119 Ziegler Sept. 4, 1928 2,601,547 Minock June 24, 1952 2,619,964 Thaete Dec. 2, 1952 2,737,181 Beard Mar. 6, 1956 2,942,604 Gravlee June 28, 1960 2,970,596 Hamilton Feb. 7, 1961 

1. A HEMOSTATIC INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A TAPERED END, GRIPPING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID HOUSING, AN ELASTIC BAND, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID ELASTIC BAND UPON SAID TAPERED END, A HOOK SLIDABLY LOCATED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND NORMALLY POSITIONED OUTSIDE SAID TAPERED END OF SAID HOUSING, A PUSH ROD SLIDEABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, AND MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DRAWING SAID HOOK INTO SAID HOUSING AND MOVING SAID PUSH ROD OUT OF SAID HOUSING TO PUSH SAID ELASTIC BAND FROM SAID TAPERED END. 